After what seemed like an eternal cold snap, winter finally gave way here in Baraboo. Unfortunately, as was the case in Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail, it looks like we've just given spring a miss and jumped straight on into summer.
We're still getting all the perks of the missed season, though. The site has burst into bloom, with wildflowers and prairie plants sprouting up all over the place.
The bad news is that warm weather means a horde of mosquitoes and a cabal of ticks, all waiting sinisterly to exsanguinate unwary humans. The good news is that insects means migrants! Birds of all shapes and sizes have returned to Wisconsin to take advantage of the many natural areas, such as Horicon and Necedah National Wildlife Refuges, although the ICF is certainly getting its fair share.
Palm Warbler
Eastern Kingbird
Tree Swallows
Upside-down Baltimore Oriole
Trumpeter Swans
Birds are only some of the critters finally coming out to play in the warm weather.
American Porcupine
Painted Turtle
Momma White-Tail and a sluggish fawn.
The wee one ignored mom's frantic looks and watched me for some time before ambling after her.
Most exciting and relevant, however, is that it's Whooping Crane time! On a trip to Necedah NWR with the Field Ecology crew, we missed most of the birds, but found about 20 or so in an agricultural field not far away.
This was a great day for birds; just from casually noting birds we saw that day, I racked up 51 species, including Ruffed Grouse, another lifer for me. We also saw a group of 4 river otters rolling around on the bank for spotting us and immediately taking to the water.
Back in Craneland, breeding season is getting crazier and crazier; our countless eggs are getting ready to hatch, and we already have our first Whooping Crane chick. This, unfortunately, means life is about to get infinitely more crazy, as we check on the chick at all hours of the day, and will need to wear full costumes in the summer heat. Even the birds are getting wackier, especially the ones with eggs; formerly mild and even friendly birds turn into death-machines.
Howard the White-Naped Crane showing off at the fence. His mate is inside on an egg.
Corcho the Eurasian crane has been coming right up to the fence to ward off invaders.
Askari the Wattled Crane, however, is mostly indifferent to people.
Stay tuned for crane chicklet news, and other nonsense.
So my first week of work at the International Crane Foundation is done, and man was it busy.
The International Crane Foundation (ICF)'s mission is to "conserve cranes and the ecosystems, watersheds, and flyways on which they depend. ICF provides knowledge, leadership, and inspiration to engage people in resolving threats to cranes and their diverse landscapes." It does this through educational programs and captive breeding, in addition to working with conservation initiatives worldwide aimed at protecting the world's cranes. The facility houses over 100 individual cranes representing all of the world's 15 species of cranes, of which 7 are classified as Vulnerable (by IUCN standards), 3 are Endangered, and 1, the Siberian Crane, is Critically Endangered.
While most of the cranes are out back in a complex called 'Crane City' by aviculture staff, representatives of all 15 species are on exhibit. The Whooping Cranes, the focus of much of the ICF's North American operations, get their own exhibit. The African cranes, Grey-Crowned, Black-Crowned, and Wattled, have their own enclosures and service areas as well. The rest are located in a round (roughly) exhibit area known as 'the Pod.' While the facility seems small compared to some others, they have a hand in conservation projects on nearly every continent.
The facility also sports nature trails covering a variety of habitat, from prairie-like areas and marshes to mixed woods. The ICF is a great place for birders and bird enthusiasts alike; wild Sandhill Cranes are drawn to the area by the presence of their relatives, while the various habitats attract Mallards and as well as black birds, sparrows, and other songbirds. Woodcock court in wetlands by Crane City, and shrikes and hawks take advantage of the abundance of prey, including ground squirrels. It's not even unheard of to see a wild Whooping Crane give the ICF a fly-by.
Currently, breeding season is in full swing, and the first eggs of the season have appeared. In my first week, I've already been involved in a few egg-grabs, some incubator maintenance, and artificial insemination. It's been pretty crazy, but I'm loving it!
Have some crane pictures.
Black-Necked Cranes
Black-Crowned Crane
Wattled Crane
Whooping Crane
Siberian Crane
Blue Crane
Demoiselle Cranes
Sarus Crane
Grey-Crowned Crane
To round things off, here's a cute (albeit sort of sad) video from the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, narrated by the magnificent Stephen Fry. Enjoy, and see you next time!
This comes from the blog of Audrey Smith at Nature Quest Photography. I cannot agree more with this sentiment. It should be printed, laminated, and handed out to every single visitor to a zoo or aquarium from now until the end of time or people stop being buffoons whenever they see an animal behind glass (which are more or less the same thing).
Read the whole beautiful thing here, and spread the word.
Here are a few of my favorite excerpts:
" Keep in mind that while I am here for you to look at, I don’t necessarily want to pose for every camera. When you whistle, hoot, clap, or shout, remember that I have heard that same sound a hundred times already that day and each day before that, and that is why I decided to ignore you." "While small children may not know better, tapping on the glass gives us headaches, and we ask that the adults in each group teach the younger ones not to do it. Know that while this fence protects you, it is also here to ensure my safety and its boundaries must be respected. Remember that I am a wild animal, not an exotic pet or conversation piece. " "...please remember that I am a living, breathing creature. I can feel pain, anger, joy, and sorrow. There are things that please me and things that scare me. I may be looking at you from the other side of the fence, but my job is to help you understand things, and I deserve your respect no matter my size, shape, or place in the world."
Well, it's been two days since April Fools, and though I didn't pull any pranks this year, I still feel giddy. Why? Well, first of all, I only have about half a month until I fly out to Baraboo, Wisconsin. Huzzah!
Second, even though it's April, there's still snow here in western New York. Most wouldn't find that to be cause for celebration, but snow makes me happy. And things that make me happy are, needless to say, excellent.
Winter doesn't go quietly around here, as you can see by the state of things at the Irondequoit Marina.
The Snow Geese are still here in force as well. It's not hard to find small flocks on the lakes or even in roadside fields.
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The Chimney Bluffs on the shore of Lake Ontario, looking majestic in the morning light.
One of the new, exciting places I've had the privilege of checking out recently is Beaver Lake Nature Center, located a mere fifteen minutes outside of Syracuse. The trails surrounding the nature center are great, preserving some neat bog habitat that is far from common in the modern day. I only wish that I could see it when winter finally releases its hold on the area and the bog (technically a fen) really comes to life.
The nature center itself has some really neat little exhibits, in addition to a grand set of bird feeders, with ample seating and viewing space for any visitors wanting to admire the tiny, feathery wonders that live around them.
Hungry American Goldfinches were well-represented here, with one or two males even starting to show signs of molting into their breeding plumage. Also taking advantage of the plentiful food source where Common Redpolls (the ones with the little black face marks and reddish caps), finches that come to the continental U.S. during winter in search of food.
There were some larger visitors to the feeder too, including a few Downy Woodpeckers (top) and these two lazy Mourning Doves (below).
This wild-looking female cardinal bullied the smaller songbirds away from her feeder, and after the first couple of tries, they got the message.
Not a big showing of Tufted Titmice here, but I spotted a few, including this guy.
White-Breasted Nuthatches are rarely so obliging. I didn't notice until later that I had also caught a Black-Capped Chickadee in the top shot.
That's a lot of food for one little Dark-Eyed Junco.
One of my favorite songbirds, this Red-Breasted Nuthatch was being an absolute pain in the tail feather. Not only did it rarely come close enough to attempt a picture, but when it did, it was lightning-fast grabbing its morsel of choice and off to the woods again. A second's difference would've made the difference between a perfect photo and this butt-shot.
That's all on my end, I suppose. To round things off, I'll leave you with a couple of videos that have entertained me recently. First are some gloriously adorable baby devils. If you don't smile during the last 8 seconds, you may not have a soul.
Also, I usually can't stomach Jimmy Fallon, but this is absolutely worth it for the brilliant performance by Florence Welch towards the end.
